Nigerian President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is preparing for a major shake-up of his cabinet, following a performance review of all 46 ministers. This upcoming reshuffle has led to intense lobbying by ministers and their political supporters in an effort to retain their positions.
On Wednesday, officials from the Presidency confirmed that the reshuffle would be based on performance reports submitted over the past months, aligning with earlier reports that changes were imminent. Political bigwigs and several ministers have begun reaching out to influential figures, including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, hoping to secure favorable outcomes.
Presidential aides revealed that ministers fearful of losing their positions have turned to their political godfathers to influence Tinubu’s decision. One aide told PUNCH, “Some of the ministers will be calling their godfathers to influence the President. It is a normal thing. But the President will still do what is on his mind for the country.”
According to sources, the Chief of Staff has raised concerns about the growing pressure on Tinubu from politicians attempting to safeguard the positions of their allies. This pressure reportedly intensified after news broke that a cabinet reshuffle might take place by October 1. However, the exact date remains unconfirmed.
A source told PUNCH, “Since reports filtered out that the President would soon reshuffle his cabinet, he has been under immense pressure from political godfathers and ministers who are afraid that they may be dropped from the cabinet.
“Due to the intense pressure, the CoS had to advise the President to take some days off in the United Kingdom after concluding the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit in China two weeks ago.
“Remember that for some days, Nigerians did not know about Tinubu’s whereabouts. After pictures of his meeting with King Charles surfaced online, people started speculating that he went to London for medical checks. The fact is that he was advised to spend a few days to allow the pressure and lobbying to subside.
“Anyway, it is not unusual for politicians to lobby on behalf of their wards but Nigerians are not satisfied with the performance of many of the ministers and the President would have no choice but to let them go. If you are not performing, you have to go, regardless of who your godfather is,” he added.
Following the growing tension and political lobbying, Tinubu was advised by aides to take a brief trip to the United Kingdom after attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit earlier this month. While there were speculations that Tinubu traveled for medical reasons, sources say the trip was meant to allow time for the pressure and lobbying to ease.
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, emphasized that the reshuffle would be based on clear performance data. “The President’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet is also based on empirical evidence,” he stated, noting that ministers would be evaluated based on the reports gathered by Hadiza Bala-Usman, head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit.
